damned_institute | Nightshift 44: File Room 1

[from here]

The file room was tiny--not much wider than the desk in front of it and only about twice as deep. There was barely room for the door to crash in. As soon as they were both inside, Indy grabbed the nearest cabinet and shoved it over the debris and into the doorway, grunting as he did so. It wouldn't stop anyone who was determined to get in, but it might just buy them enough time to come up with their files and a plan for getting out of here.

All right, alphabetical, good; now please, God, let this half go up to L. "I...J...K..." he muttered as he scanned the cabinets. The L drawer was at the bottom of the rightmost cabinet in the corner; they'd have to kneel with their backs to the door to get at it. Just great. Indy practically dove for it and tried to jerk it open. It wouldn't give. Gritting his teeth, he bashed the lock with the heel of his flashlight until it surrendered and flew apart. Indy wrenched the drawer off its rails and set it in the center of the floor, where they could both search while they watched the door.

"Better make it fast," he warned, already hunting.

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L, tense and wide-eyed with alarm, was through the door almost on Dr. Jones's heels. He found that his breathing had quickened, and after the cabinet hit the door, he pushed against it to try to ensure its security.

No arguing, no self-deception -- much more than the previous night, when he and Keman and Howell had been confronted in the Sun Room, he knew himself and Dr. Jones to be at a disadvantage.

The speed and efficiency with which Jones worked impressed him, but this wasn't the time to discuss it. He crouched, shining his light over the drawer, and began to flick through what papers he could. -- Laurier or Lawliet, both at the beginning -- if I am lucky enough -- The latter surname would be hidden as soon as he saw it.

But no -- there it was. Laurier, Daniel. He slipped the file from the drawer with a smooth tug, holding it between his fingertips, then slid it into the pillowcase, where it sat with the radio. Nothing on the radio yet.

"You have found yours? We need a plan, Dr. Jones." A pause, while his gaze flickered back to the drawer. "It would be unwieldy, but it might be possible to use these drawers as some kind of shield."

Edited 2009-10-13 08:28 (UTC)

Ryuuzaki was flipping through the first files in the drawer, giving Indy room to dig for "Lucas, Harry" on the opposite side. He found it fast and dropped the folder in his own pillowcase, which had been stashed in one of his jacket pockets. Check. Now how the hell were they gonna get out of there?

Well, the other man's plan sounded as good as anything he had come up with. Indy considered the drawer: probably wouldn't hold up to an extended onslaught, but if it was light enough to heft easily, they could at least protect their heads and torsos for the few steps between them and the main hall.

"Just might work," he acknowledged, already back at the cabinet to break the lock of the first drawer he reached. "If we can make it back into the main hall, he might not follow. If he does, at least we'll have a chance at backup." He wedged the flashlight in a pocket, jerked this drawer out of its socket too and dumped its contents (the "I" files, he noticed vaguely) on the floor. The weight wasn't bad.

Indy couldn't be sure where in the entry room the guy with the sword was, but he also didn't want to waste time waiting to find out by way of the file cabinet crashing in. In a low voice that wouldn't carry past it, he said, "I'll shove the cabinet outward, try to see if we can get the jump on him. Then we make a break for the main hall door. That enough of a plan for you?"

L used both hands to move stacks of files out of the drawer, then set the files on the floor, off to the side and out of their way. When the drawer was empty, he lifted it, holding it like a shield. It was makeshift and a little cumbersome -- he worried that it would obscure his vision, for one thing -- but when the other party has a sharp, heavy blade, some protection is better than no protection at all.

He looked back at Dr. Jones. "Yes. I do not think we have any other choice, unless we hope to sit here until someone rescues us.

"Although -- we are encumbered. The door is close enough to this one that our best hope is to push past him and escape, but I do not know how far we will have to go. We will run in the direction of the stairs, maybe? To the west, or to the east?"

"The east stairs," Indy said without having to think about it. "That'll put us close to where we're headed." If they'd had the luxury of time, he would've checked the other file room down here for Pierson's folder, but they were already pushing their luck to the breaking point here. And they hadn't even gotten to the killer bugs yet.

He turned and positioned himself in front of the cabinet in the doorway, preparing himself for whatever was on the other side. "Ready?"

Holding his pillowcase in one hand, radio inside, he tried to find a way to carry the flashlight in which it would still be of some utility to them; he settled for keeping it between the drawer and his hand on one side, facing outward. Whoever is out there, it might be possible to disorient them with the light.

"Yes. Ready. The east."

They didn't have far to go, but getting there --

He found that his toes were clenching.

That was all the invitation Indy needed. With a sudden burst of effort, he slammed his left shoulder into the file cabinet, toppling it out into the Entry Room with a bang. Then he hefted the drawer in front of his face and ran for his life.

[back to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/739153.html?thread=60473425#t60473425)]

Nightshift 44: File Room 1

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